"Call your hardware vendor for support"
Did you?
: Hello again. I shut down my computer earlier, only it didn't turn off.
: Instead, I got the same blue screen and parity error. Here is the exact
: message:
:
: ***Hardware Malfunction
: Call your hardware vendor for support
: NMI: Parity Check/Memory Parity Error
:
: ***The system has halted***
:
: I've yet to try any suggestions offered here, only because I'm not
familiar
: with laptops and related components and I feel like it is a much too
fragile
: system to experiment on. If the above message indicates any other useful
: information that anyone can share, please do so. I'd like as much
information
: as possible before taking it in for repair. Thanks again.
:
: I should also mention that I've had no other problems after receiving this
: message and my laptop has had no other major issues - hardware or
otherwise
: (besides the fact that it takes 3 or 4 restarts for my sound to work).
:
: "Patricia" wrote:
:
: > Thanks for the suggestions Randem and Paul. I received that error last
night
: > and posted immediately after restarting. I'm hoping it doesn't happen
again,
: > but if it does I'll be sure to copy the error message exactly. Hopefully
your
: > suggestions will fix the problem.
: >
: > "Paul" wrote:
: >
: > > Patricia wrote:
: > > > In the last month or so, my laptop (Sony Vaio VGN-N130G) has, on 3
or 4
: > > > occassions, shut off for no apparent reason. Each time a blue screen
appears
: > > > with some kind of Parity failure error. I also received the message
another
: > > > time when attempting to shut down. Does anyone know what might be
causing
: > > > this and how I can prevent it from happening again? Thanks for any
: > > > information.
: > >
: > > There is a program called memtest86+ from memtest.org
: > > you can use. It is available to prepare a blank floppy
: > > to boot with, a bootable CD, or a bootable USB stick
: > > (that works if your computer can boot from such a
: > > thing). I generally use the floppy on my desktop
: > > computers.
: > >
: > > Memtest86+ can test all the memory, except for a small
: > > amount reserved for the BIOS. You should let it run for
: > > one or two full passes (takes a couple hours). The program
: > > will run indefinitely if left unattended. Press <esc> to
: > > exit memtest86+ and start a reboot of the computer. The
: > > memtest media should be removed before the reboot begins.
: > >
: > > The next level of testing, can be done while in Windows.
: > > It involves a program called Prime95 from mersenne.org .
: > > There is a test, called the Torture Test in there, which
: > > does a math calculation with a known answer. The test
: > > also uses RAM to hold intermediate results.
: > >
: > > You can download a useful version of that program from here.
: > > This version is multithreaded, and will exercise all four
: > > cores on a quad processor, for example. If the processor
: > > has only a single core, then one testing thread will be
: > > started.
: > >
: > >
http://majorgeeks.com/Prime95_d4363.html
: > >
: > > To run it, you download and unzip the download. Then
: > > execute the Prime95.exe. A dialog pops up, asking
: > > if you want to "Join GIMPs" ? You answer No, Just Testing.
: > > Next, there is a dialog which allows tuning of the amount
: > > of memory to test. I use "Custom" and if the program
: > > shows 1600MB of memory, I might trim that a tiny bit,
: > > so I can still work on the computer. (Enter 1200MB
: > > in the dialog, instead of the 1600MB value.) If the computer
: > > is going to be left alone to do the testing, then leaving
: > > the default (full amount) of memory would be OK.
: > >
: > > The test will make the computer hot. The ventilation on
: > > the laptop should be clean and working well. Don't walk
: > > away from the computer, if you know for a fact that
: > > the cooling isn't working right. The laptop shouldn't be
: > > sitting on a blanket or other kinds of cloth, as that
: > > might block the vents. The laptop should also be plugged
: > > in, for the duration of the test. I run the program for
: > > about 4 hours, and if no errors are reported and all
: > > test threads are still running, that means it "passed".
: > > A test thread will halt, if even one error is detected.
: > >
: > > *******
: > >
: > > Now, all of that being said, I don't think the error
: > > message you're seeing is from the memory. On this page,
: > > the recommended memory for that computer is "non-ECC",
: > > meaning the main memory is not ECC protected.
: > >
: > >
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=VAIO VGN-N130G/W
: > >
: > > The parity message may be a parity on the processor
: > > cache. Record the exact error message the next time
: > > it happens, and repost the question including the
: > > exact text. I suspect it might be processor related,
: > > but it helps to have the message available, to do more
: > > research.
: > >
: > > I suggested the above two tests, as part of ascertaining
: > > whether the computer is working well. These tests should
: > > be done on any new computer, whether self-built or
: > > purchased at retail. If the tests are failing, then
: > > the builder or seller should correct the problems.
: > > Never leave a marginal computer problem to fester,
: > > because as sure as not, the machine will fail
: > > a day after the warranty has expired
: > >
: > > Paul
: > >
